With his team's 5-1 win over Spain, Hector Sanchez could truly say he was an international football champion, though not in the way he dreamed of as a child.
Diagnosed with a liver disease in his youth, the Chilean motor car salesman had long had doctors urging him not to take to the field.
Then, two liver transplant operations later and with a squad of 20 other organ donor recipients, Sanchez was victorious at September's Transplant Football World Cup.
"If it weren't for the transplant, I might not be here," he said after a recent charity match in the Chilean capital Santiago.
It is an opportunity he wants to extend to others. And while the Chilean squad were victorious at the World Cup, the situation at home is tough for others in their position.
This story is from the November 15, 2024 edition of The Citizen.
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This story is from the November 15, 2024 edition of The Citizen.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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